


Carry Violet Screams

by YellowMagicalGirl



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crying, Defiance, Dismemberment, Evil Merlin (Tales of Arcadia), F/M, Gen, New Jersey Trollmarket (Tales of Arcadia), Not 3Below Compliant (Tales of Arcadia), Not Wizards Compliant (Tales of Arcadia), Psych 101, Struggling, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27086656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowMagicalGirl/pseuds/YellowMagicalGirl
Summary: It should have been peaceful after they reached New Trollmarket, but Merlin had other plans.
Relationships: Claire Nuñez & NotEnrique, Jim Lake Jr. & Nomura (Tales of Arcadia), Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Carry Violet Screams

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who found an old fic sitting in her drafts and decided to repurpose it for Day 11 of "Whumptober" (yes I know I'm late)? This takes place about a year after Trollhunters.
> 
> Huge thanks to gracerosana for helping me with this back when I tried to write it two years ago.

There was a scream. On its own it wasn't loud enough to sweep throughout all of New Trollmarket, but the violet flares sweeping through the stone cavern carried the noise far better than air could. Jim and Nomura looked towards the direction from where it came.

"You wanna go check that out?" Jim asked.

"You're just trying to get out of training," Nomura said, but she sheathed her twin khopeshes. Her voice betrayed a slight note of concerned if one was to listen closely. "Don't think this sparring session is over, little Gynt."

Blinky saw the flash, and his first instinct was to look for whomever was setting off explosives. Construction wasn't yet finished, but they didn't need any demolition at the moment. Then the wave of magic passed through him, and with it a high pitched scream. That scream sounded like it came from -

"Claire!" Notenrique called out, scampering out from a food storage area. Blinky chased after him and towards the swirling purple beacon. On the way to it, he found himself pushing past trolls who stood in the streets, staring at where the swirling magic was coming from. It was reminiscent of Claire's portal, of Morgana's spell for the Eternal Night. It was wrong, and the anguished sound it carried didn't help.

Jim and Nomura met up with Blinky and Notenrique as they navigated the trolls and the half-completed streets. Perhaps they had spent too much time completing the Gyre instead of the market. "Do you know what's happening?" Jim asked.

"Claire's hurt or something; can you hear her screaming?" Notenrique sniped back. As Jim's lips began to pull back in a snarl, Nomura got between them, with Blinky acting as crowd control.

"Save your fights for after we help her," she said. "I doubt the wizard is helping her."

The wizard in question was not helping Claire. He had a sack that seemed to drip blood slung over one shoulder. In the other he gripped the Staff of Avalon, using it to dodge both the maelstrom and the blasts of magic coming from Claire's left hand that was stretched towards him.

Correction. The blasts of magic coming from Claire's bleeding stump of an arm that was stretched out towards him. Her other arm was raised towards the sky, as if doing so was the source of her levitation. The sleeve around it was frayed and stained with the blood flowing from where her right hand used to be. Rivulets of blood flowed through the deep cracks that marred her arms. Similar cracks framed her bruised face and her black-and-violet eyes. She was pale, likely from blood loss.

"Oh, good, you're here," Merlin shouted over Claire's screaming as he spared a glance towards Claire's horrified friends and family. The glance nearly cost him his footing. "I hate to say it, but she seems to be as bad as Morgana. Can't understand that sometimes you need to lose a limb or two for the greater good."

Jim growled as he summoned his daggers. "I'm starting to wonder if you're the whole reason why Morgana even became a problem." He and the others then charged at Merlin.

"You three as well?"

Jim tore through the sack as Merlin dodged a blow from Nomura. He grabbed one of the objects that fell from the bag as Merlin grabbed the other. A flash of blinding green light momentarily blinded Jim. Merlin wasn't there anymore when his vision cleared. He looked down.

He felt sick.

Claire stopped screaming when she saw that Merlin was gone, and the light in her eyes began to dim. When she saw Jim cradling her severed hand, the light came back, and blasts of magic began to shoot randomly off her body.

"Anyone have any idea how to deal with her?" Nomura called.

"I do, but you need to put down your weapons. Even your staff. She's scared, and her magic's responding to that fear," NotEnrique said.

Jim allowed his amulet to drop to the ground. Nomura placed her swords on her back, and Blinky set down his staff.

Notenrique bounded up different pieces of debris until he could grab onto Claire's leg. She snarled, and one of her arms reared back. If she still had hands, they probably would have been curling into fists or claw-like fingers.

"Merlin's gone, kiddo," NotEnrique said to her. "We're gonna get you patched up." Claire looked around the room as the snarl faded from her face. The blasts of magic that she had been sending ceased, and as her eyes rolled back into her head they changed back to white and brown from black and violet. Jim ran to catch her and the smaller changeling as she fell towards the ground.

* * *

Claire woke to the sound of a heart monitor and the smell out antiseptic. She'd had such a strange dream, where she had met Morgana in the Shadow Realm. For once the Pale Lady had been truly kind to her, taking her cape off and wrapping it around Claire's spectral shoulders.

Some part of her feared it wasn't a dream.

Claire opened her eyes. Jim was sitting in a chair, playing with the hands of his amulet. He looked up and gave her a sad smile.

"Your mom took a phone call, and your dad and Notenrique went to go take Enrique for a walk." He reached out towards her, then withdrew his hand. "Claire, I'm so sorry. Blinky and Nomura tried to find Merlin while Notenrique and I took you to the hospital. They couldn't find him in time... not in time to reattach."

Claire looked down at where her hands should be. Her left arm was in a purple cast. Her right ended in a bandaged stump. Her vision began to blur.

"How do you feel?" Jim asked.

In some ways, too much like just after her possession.

"Violated," she croaked. Tears began to spill out of her eyes. Slowly, Jim exited his chair and went to hold her as sobs wracked her frame.


End file.
